Radio Control: Soaring
Dan Pruss
If the name Harley Michaelis rings a bell and brings back a memory or two to some of you first-generation sailplaners, it's right that it should.
Back in the late Sixties, sailplane kits manufactured in the States were more of a wish or a dream than a reality. If you wanted to stick with what was then becoming the state of the art, you had to rely on some imported kits from Europe — which wasn't all bad when you consider the price and quality of those kits.
A few individuals worked up their own designs, and some of these "originals" caught on and became popular not only on a weekend afternoon but on the contest circuit as well. One of these original designs was the Miskeet by Harley Michaelis. Plans for it appeared in the July 1969 issue of Flying Models. The three-channel ship could stand today in any flight circle, and because of its modern lines you would think it was designed this past July.
Well, nearly 17 years later, Harley has done it again. His latest design, which will soon be a feature construction article in Model Aviation, has something for everyone.
Atrix (Harley Michaelis' new design)
Harley’s new project is called Atrix. He freely admits that Stewart Blanchard's Calypso 6 (featured in this column in the August 1985 Model Aviation) influenced the Atrix design.
- The three-piece wing is similar to Blanchard's but uses unique attach points.
- The model is designed to take advantage of modern transmitters and mixing functions, yet it was intended for the masses rather than the F3B circuit.
- Common building materials are used throughout.
- One-piece flat center section eliminates ply braces, joiner tubes, and wing rods, and makes flap installation much simpler.
- The center section has dihedral; detachable wing tips are supported by springlike blades secured with set screws.
- Fuselage construction is a simple plywood box, planked and shaped.
Specifications:
- Overall span: about 110 inches
- Center section span: 44 inches
- Tip span: 33 inches
- Center chord: 10 inches (center), 6 inches (tips)
- All-up weight: about 60 ounces
The model should whet the building appetite. Look for plans in an upcoming issue.
Hand-Launch fans
Back in the December column I offered a mild challenge — see the first throw of a bonafide hand-launch sailplane register some creditable flights. Now it looks, though, as if we might have added another challenge: what's the smallest hand-launch ever to accomplish credible flights?
Ted Off of Ventura, CA, will give something to shoot for. Ted claims that back in the mid-Sixties, before digital proportionals came on the scene, he stuck with pulse proportional using the gear-based Adams Actuator setups of old. The Mighty Midget motor is a relatively inexpensive unit and a way to fly a proportional model. The little ship looks as though it could get misplaced in a toolbox.
- Span: 30 inches
- Area: about 120 square inches
- All-up weight: 7 ounces
- Reported flights: over 15 minutes
Any challengers? Please include pictures.
New product
From R/C Design and Development comes the only set of all-metal spoilers manufactured in the U.S.A. They are anodized aluminum and 15 inches in length. In the extended position they can open to 1.05 inches above the wing; closed they measure a mere 0.06 inches. The drawing in the announcement shows a typical installation.
This is a quality item: all parts are aluminum, and the fit of the moving parts indicates precision workmanship whether retracted or extended.
Order direct from: R/C Design and Development 821 Stubbs Provo, UT 84601
Cost: $16.95 per pair plus $1 for shipping and handling.
LSF election results
The new officers are:
- President — Robert (Skip) Schow Jr., Vienna, VA (LSF/166)
- Vice-President — Woody Blanchard, Hampton, VA (LSF/2855)
- Secretary — Peter Wiplinger, Dallastown, PA (LSF/5379)
- Treasurer — Charles Wells, Greenbelt, MD (LSF/3544)
This group shares over 85 years of modeling experience, with 46 of those years dedicated to RC soaring. On behalf of the nearly 5,700 who proudly wear the LSF patch, congratulations and best wishes for the next two years.
We also thank the outgoing officers who served two terms (four years):
- Warren Ploh, LSF/334, President
- Larry Jolly, LSF/3579, Vice-President
- Ken Bates, LSF/604, Secretary
- Cal Sobczynski, LSF/2487, Treasurer
Level V additions
During 1985, seven gentlemen had their names added to the Level V list, bringing that total up to 46. They were:
- Earle Latimer, LSF/3119 (Lansing, MI)
- Terry Edmonds, LSF/463 (Iowa City, IA)
- Dale Harber, LSF/1880 (Yoder, IN)
- Charron Smith, LSF/4093 (Grand, MI)
- Richard Ransom, LSF/4747 (Ionia, MI)
- Thomas Dickey, LSF/3816 (Gaithersburg, MD)
- Robert Schow, LSF/166 (Vienna, VA)
Congratulations to all!
As this column was closing, word was received that Larry Jolly, representing the U.S.A., won first place in South Africa flying in the first International F3H (Cross-Country) event ever held. Larry was flying his original design, a Comet. Details to follow in an article by Larry himself.
Until next month, good lift.
Dan Pruss 131 E. Pennington Ln. Plainfield, IL 60544
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
